One Word: Snow

So, living in sunny California has its ups and downs. On one hand, the weather is great (most of the time). On the other hand, gas is extremely expensive, and we have CARB, which haults the majority of car mods I would like to do. However, we don't have snow here. So this article is written on relatives' experiences and what they had to say, because they lived in Minnesota for awhile. So yeah, they know a thing or two about snow.

No traction

With a stick, you can start in a higher gear, which reduces torque to the wheels and decreases the chance that they'll slip. It also lets you hold a gear as long as you want, which further helps you gain traction in icy conditions. With an automatic (depending on the gear box), it can switch between gears and have too much torque, which is not optimal for gaining traction. Now, many new cars have ice/snow modes. It is, however, hit or miss in terms of whether they will work. Even autos that let you select what gear you want don't always let you hold onto it and often disregard what you choose in favor of what the computer thinks is best.

Uphill

In ice/snow mode, when climbing a hill that's slick, some traction control systems work by simply cutting power to individual wheels to stop them from slipping. This is not a good solution to reduce power when climbing a hill, especially if there are cars behind you. In a manual, a simple upshift solves this, and most manual drive cars let you turn off traction control.

Downhill

Now, when going downhill in a stick shift car, you can downshift and engine brake. This uses the gearing and... well... the engine to slow the car down gradually. If done properly this is totally safe and can prolong the life of your brakes. The reason for this is that when it's very cold outside, your brakes can be less effective, and using your breaks can cause you too lose traction, whereas engine braking does not.

In the end, the most important thing is a good set of winter tires and being alert on the road. A good driver in a auto is better than a poor one in a manual when dealing with snow.